Tales Of The Caretakers
by SalTheCat
Summary: After The Unknown, The Brothers carry on with their lives while the Caretakers that came before live out their own lives in the time-worn memories of Wirt. Part of the Found Souls series. Reading the first one is recommended to understand. Cover image is not mine, taken from the show proper.
1. Rosemary Plants and Legal Guardians

When Wirt was 17, soon to be 18, a social worker came to their door. She was a pretty, fairly nice looking lady, and when she asked to come in, showing an ID, he let her.

They sat down in the sitting room, scattered with Greg's craft supplies and toys and sketch pads and musical instruments, mostly small ones like a slide whistle and kazoo and harmonica, but also the clarinet that Wirt was teaching him how to use. Houseplants filled the area, cacti, ferns, flowers, and other flora populated most surfaces. An extra tank for Jason Funderburker was perched on a counter, while a piece of plywood halfway covering it served as a perch for Fluffernutter. Thankfully neither were present, as Wirt got the feeling she would not approve.

The lady's name turned out to be Ms. DeLaug, and she cut right to the chase.

Speaking as she pulled papers out of her purse, she said, all businesslike, "you do understand that you turn 18 soon right? And then Mr. Callihagn will no longer be your legal guardian?"

Without waiting for an answer she set the papers down on the coffee table, face up. They were official papers, copies of his and Greg's birth certificates, a printed copy of the magical creature test he'd been forced to take at school in 10th grade (he had hidden his power enough to be listed as minor shapeshifter, nothing of notice) and even Greg's test he had taken just this year, noting the magical residue flowing through his blood (Wirt had powerful healing abilities and had been forced to use them many, many, times on Greg's various scrapes and bruises) and the potential for possible Shapeshifting in the future. (Now _that _Wirt was dreading. Greg got himself in enough trouble without having any sort of magical powers. Not that he was surprised. Magic tended to rub off, and Greg had plenty of magic in his life.)

cleared her throat. "Now, Mr. Callihagn has asked that once you turn 18 and are no longer under his legal guardianship either Greg goes to a foster home for nine years or you accept to offer to be his legal guardian."

Wirt was surprised. _Offer?_

She noticed his surprise. "You weren't told about that?"

"Ummm… no, I don't think so"

She sighed. "I told your father's secretary to tell you. I guess the message didn't get through." She was immediately business as usual. "Well as his older half-brother, as stated in your parents will, you do have a right to be his legal guardian. That would entail all the duties of a parent though. You would have to care for all his needs, everything from food to clothing to shelter and school. The government does have programs for this sort of thing and you would receive money similar to child support to assist you. But it also depends on whether the government considers you a fit guardian." She whipped out more papers. "Do you have a job?"

"Yes, I managed to find a very good job in a local state park. (not to mention his alter ego as Caretaker of The Unknown and all that entailed)

"Have you looked into housing on your own?"

"Actually I have. I figured Dad would kick me out of the house right when I was 18 so I'm already on the waiting list for a two bedroom apartment."

In response to her raised eyebrow, he shrugged.

"I figured Greg would want to stay over often."

(Plus, of course, he had the Tree, the sentient sentinel of the forest that had stood for millennia. They had been happy to help him fix up rooms. Greg's room was beautiful, covered in glow in the dark stars shaped like constellations of the Unknown and with a wallpaper of black turtles, frogs, and squirrels)

"Do you think you have a decent enough relationship with your brother that he wouldn't mind you being his guardian as opposed to having a real parent figure as his guardian?"

And so the interrogation continued.

When was done, she gathered all her paperwork and stood up. Instead of leaving, she drifted over to one of Wirt's favorite plants, a rosemary bush in a blue ceramic pot he had named lovingly named Sage. She fingered one of the spikes. "All your plants are quite pretty. I myself am an expert gardener. I showcase my work at the local fair. You should bring some of your own work."

And with that she left

Greg, of course, was all for Wirt being his legal guardian. He seemed to think it would be the coolest thing ever. Him and Wirt in the treehouse living with the Squirrels and the chipmunks and the gnomes? Perfect. Wirt had his own anxieties about the arrangement. Would they have enough money? Wirt himself didn't need much, but apartments were expensive, and so were little kids. Plus, besides monetary problems, there was Greg himself. Of course he wasn't Greg's parent but it would still be his responsibility to make sure he didn't grow up to be a spoiled brat. He was still a very impressionable little kid, no matter his high intelligence and talent for the arts that had developed quickly in the years since the Unknown. What if Wirt was a terrible guardian and didn't teach him right, even by example? and then even if they took him away, Greg was screwed up for life?

He went to bed that night with worry, worry, worry...

A/N: Back At It Again at Crispy Creme!

Also, this chapter is Dedicated to my own Rosemary Plant. Without whom I would not have the essential component to my pizza time herb mix to spice up my lunchable pizzas.

ALSO, Finished Infinity Train last night and got some serious Over The Garden Wall Vibes off it the whole time. the parallels were crazy.


	2. Root Beer Floats

In the end, Wirt decided to just heck with it and become Greg's legal guardian. He didn't want his brother miserable in a foster home, that would crush his bright spirit. The day before Wirt turned 18 they packed up all their things, clothes and books and old magic scrolls (Wirt's, he had easily located an old secret stash of them from Caretakers past) and musical instruments (Greg's, he played about five small ones plus the clarinet Wirt was teaching him to play.) they packed up all up and loaded it into a rented trailer. Jen borrowed her dad's four seater truck to lug the trailer and the three boys, including Stevie, across town to their new apartment. Between the three of them, the stuff was in the apartment in two hours, and they had root beer floats to celebrate.

Halfway through the floats, Jen poked him in the arm. "Say, where are you going to college?" Seeing his face, she gasped dramatically "you are going to college right?!" "Of course!" Wirt shot back. "You caught me off guard, that's all. Well, I'm going to take a one year break to save up some money and decide what I want to do. Maybe a science teacher or park ranger. I have plenty of patience with kids…" he nudged Greg and Stevie snorted. "No offense Greg, but anyone living with you gets a lot of patience real fast. "Hey!" Greg shot back "Same with you! Hmmmph. _Lot of patience…_" Wirt snorted, taking a sip of root beer. Greg continued to grumble slightly as Jen chuckled then said suddenly "Hey, Stevie what are YOU doing?"

Stevie flushed "I genuinely like Accounting so I guess I'll take over from dad and do that…"

"BOOOOOOO!" Jen jeered "That can't be what you really want to do! It's so boring!"

"I really do!" Stevie protested. "Numbers are fun and logical, they line up perfectly and add to the same values every time. They are reliable and-" He was cut off by Greg throwing a punch of salt from the shaker on the table and booing playfully. Wirt stole the shaker and primly put it back in its proper place at the end of the table, holding it up out of reach when Greg tried to grab it. They all laughed then, other than a grumbling Greg as he strained for it.

A/N: So… sorry… cringe… hiatuses…plot holes...apologies.


	3. Sage II (RIP Sage I)

Managing food in the Callihagen-Finch household was annoying, to say the least. Between a barely-not-a-teenager maturing nature spirit who preferred food over sunlight, thank you very much, and an overweight third grader, food could be hard to negotiate. Greg wants chicken nuggets, Wirt touches one and immediately decides they do not qualify as meat. Wirt wants his pomegranate seeds for dessert, Greg throws them away out of spite before dinner because Wirt wouldn't let him eat 'chicken' nuggets. Wirt will eat milk, cheese, and eggs on occasion if he feels like it, but will not eat meat because he can sense how the animal died and he feels bad, while Greg declares himself a carnivore and refuses to eat anything but meat. A real pain in the butt, considering how much food Wirt grows in the Unknown. Because they qualify as 'lower income' family Greg eats free at school, but Wirt questions the nutrition of that too. in all, their grocery trips consisted of ten minutes of bickering in every aisle while responsible adults stare and little kids giggle. So of course, Wirt gets all panicky and anxious and _oh my gosh they are staring- _while Greg giggles at Wirts face.

(They usually come to a compromise of some sort but shhhh… Wirts too embarrassed to admit he was bested by a nine year old and Greg hates admitting to negotiating with people)

* * *

Really, the metaphorical roots of chaos were planted the same time the literal ones were. They were in the Unknown on a Wednesday night, Wirt was on his hands and knees, planting a rare strain of demonic tree he had obtained recently (pumpkins, elm trees, and bungee cord had been involved, don't ask) and Greg was sitting boredly in a tree, scratching Fluffernutter's head. His backpack was on the ground. "Greg, do you have any papers or whatever I need to sign?" Wirt asked absentmindedly from the ground where he was trying to untangle several stubborn roots from his wrists.

"Kinda," Greg said from the tree. Wirt looked up at him, then shook his head and looked back down at his plant. "Can I have them?" He asked amusedly.

"It's a birthday invitation. William at school is having a party at his house. Everyone is supposed to bring some food"

"Well that should be easy enough" Wirt replied. The stupid roots were refusing to come loose, if anything they were tighter.

"Yeah, but I want to bring NORMAL food. Not weird veggies that taste like meat."

"Yeah, but you used to love Umber leaves. Why not those?" The root was finally loosening, and he almost slapped away another from his ankle out of frustration before stopping himself and gently pulling it away. It wouldn't do to release demonic energy all over his favorite patch of garden. Who knew what it would do to Sage II the rosemary plant, planted nearby after the unfortunate and untimely death of the original Sage.

"Yeah, but I'm a carnivore now! I don't eat veggies, even ones that taste like meat. William likes ice cream, let's bring ice cream."

"Everyone's going to bring ice cream, Greg. Let's bring some normal fruit then. Kids your age love watermelon and cantaloupe." Finally, the roots were off his wrist. Wirt carefully tucked more roots into the hole before dumping dirt over it, lightly packing the moist earth.

"No, we like meat." Greg counterargued. "Let's bring pizza. Pepperoni is yummy."

"Cheese and I'll concede. You kids do not need more processed meats."

"Sausage?" Greg counterd.

"Just as bad, cheese or no deal." Wirt retorted take it or leave it, my way or-"

"Alright, alright. Cheese it is." Greg grumbled.

* * *

On the day of the party, Greg insisted they use the old, worn car that Wirt had gotten cheap to keep up appearances. While Wirt could teleport anywhere there was plant life, he also figured people would start to get suspicious if Wirt and Greg got around with no visible means of transportation. They drove the car to the address, and several other cars were already parked out front.

"Huh, your classmates must have gotten here around the same time." Wirt commented. "Well, Head on in! have fun! Be social! I'm no good at it but you can do it!" Greg rolled his eyes and grabbed the pizza box on the seat next to him.

"Remember-"

"Yeah, Yeah, call you if I need anything or need to be picked up early. You'll wait here until your sure I'm inside and ok, blah blah blah…" Greg shot back. "Bye Wirt, smell ya later"

Wirt stayed in the car and watched as Greg went to the door and rang the doorbell. The lady who answered Wirt recognized from pickup at Greg's school. She greeted him and cocked her head, apparently asking Greg something, Greg, the little snitch, pointed back at the car. Wirt forced a smile and waved. As much as he was glad Greg was socializing and making friends he did not want to be dragged into one of those talks were adults sit around the table and drink coffee and small talk. To his great sadness, she gestured to him in an obvious, come here, gesture. Greg had already disappeared inside, leaving her in the doorway. Mentally bracing himself, Wirt got out of the car and made his way to her. He grinned when he got to her, shaking her hand.

"I'm Wirt, Greg's older brother. Nice to meet you" she shook his hand "Karen West. I run the PTA. It's so nice to see older siblings get involved to!" Wirt inwardly frowned, and it must have shown up on his face, because Karen frowned. "Greg did tell you this was also an unofficial PTA meeting for new members right?"

"Umm Yeah! He did sorry, I was just… confused" Wirt replies, mentally cursing Greg.

"Well then, come on in!" She cheerfully replied.

Wirt made a mental note get his revenge later.

Two hours of sitting at a kitchen table, pretending to sip terrible coffee, and listing to Karen drone on and on later, Wirt was starting to seriously consider teleporting right out of there, but high-pitched, sugar-fueled, screeching echoed down the hallway. Karen huffed and sighed going to the kitchen door and opening it to reveal a kid about Greg's age, red-faced and nearly crying, being tickled to death by the pink tongue of an over excited dog. Upon seeing Wirt, the object of the dogs affection was quickly transferred to the young nature spirit. Sensing, as most animals did, that this budding guardian of flora and fauna was a friend. He nearly knocked poor Wirt over as he jumped into Wirt's lap, grinning and panting.

The PTO conference was a lot less boring after that, especially when Karen couldn't do a thing to get her own dog out of Wirt's lap.

* * *

A/N: You know when you like to do something, but just lose will power for a while? I've been like that since summer break ended… sorry :) also, this chapter is dedicated to my own Rosemary plant, Sage. R.I.P. im so sorry, I can't take care of plants. Also, you know I had to drop Karen, Anti-vaxxer and leader of the PTA in here ;)


	4. Village

Wirt sat in a tree

The world was peaceful

The wind blew

The leaves rustled

All was right with the world

_But it wasn't always like this..._ a sad voice whispered in his mind, a Caretaker gone by reflecting on days gone by.

Wirt automatically looked down.

The roots had expanded

The earth had covered

The grass had grown

But even all that could not hide the bodies in his minds' eye

The flame-licked skeletons of that night, the night a village had died, leaving behind all they ever knew at the whims of one of the far too many people in the world who only intended to harm everyone around her.

A memory leaped to the forefront of his mind, unbidden

Perhaps it was revenge, albeit in a roundabout fashion.

If she couldn't harm the ones who had harmed her, wouldn't it be just the same to harm others? They were all the same after all

Full of harm

Full of spite

Full of cruelty

Perhaps it was a cry for help to the world at large, a desperate soul seeking the attention of the heavens and earth.

Whatever is was, late at night, under the light of the half-moon a young woman with antlers ran from house to house in the village, knocking, pounding on doors, only to move onto the next when they were answered after a brief, stilted warning to pack the essentials and flee to the forest where she could protect them.

They obeyed her without question.

Or at least, they seemed to

She had just finished when fire lit the horizon

She abandoned all half-hearted attempts at secrecy and ran, hoping and praying the last houses she alerted could make it to the forest in time.

She was halfway through town, running across the square, when she stopped.

Something wasn't right

Her hesitation proved to be her downfall.

Wagons were rolled into the streets, pushed off rooftops, effectively blocking all exits to the square.

A flash of light sparked in the darkness, quickly spreading as the single torch was lit and the flame was shared.

"What are you doing?" she asked, half laughed, but not in humor

"_We're sick of you, demon" _they whispered

She laughed again, but a sinking feeling was in the pit of her stomach.

"Don't be preposterous, I'm not a demon! Demons can't grow things!" She punctuates this last bit by shaping a nearby hedge into the shape of a cat. "See? Not a demon!"

But she knows it is hopeless, the fire on the horizon is nearly there, and they will not make it on time.

"_But You ARE a demon, aren't you?" _one of them hisses _"you've poisoned our children, polluted our crops, and brought your pyrokinetic friend to put on a good show so you can save us heroically!" _

"No!" she stammers. "That's not it at all! She is a real threat and we need to leave NOW!"

The fire is here.

She can hear the maniacal laughter as more and more fire colors the horizon.

_They are beyond saving, _a voice whispers to her and she knows he is right, hundreds of times across billions of years this has happened and never have they been saved.

She catches her apprentices eye in the shadows, he is holding a torch and looks sorrowful, but stoic

Faintly, lovingly she smiles at him.

He really was her favorite apprentice yet

She salutes, right hand over her heart before pushing it outward, and vanishes.

She reappears on the edge of the treeline and forces herself to run, run, run far away even as the screams start.

And now, here sits Wirt.

The wood of the houses has long since burned down

The stone of the village hearth has long since been buried by the passage of time

But Wirt remembers, the Caretakers remember.

That will have to be enough

Slowly, Wirt climbs down from the tree and walks away, vanishing at a point that most would have considered random


	5. A Conversation With Days Gone By

A Conversation With Days Gone By

Wirt closes his eyes

Breath in, beath out

Sink into his own mind and find that space, that cranny that expands as soon as he touches it

A clearing in a forest

Hammocks hang from the trees

Beds of woven vines litter the ground at random

A women sees him, standing there in his own mind and smiles broadly

"Wirt!"

She is slightly overweight, with dark skin and hair, and she gives him a giant, loving hug as soon as he comes near. He melts into that hug, breathing in her soothing scent of fresh baked goods. What baked goods exactly he could not tell you, only that they would be the sweetest, best tasting ones ever made

"It's so good to see you again, Angel. How are you?" he asks, slightly wearily

She laughs and scoops him up so he is riding piggyback on her shoulders, he yawns and lays his head on her hair as she starts walking toward the other end of the clearing.

"I'm pretty good darling, but you look exhausted. Been a rough few days?"

"You bet," he yawns. "It's been exhausting the last while. I'm trying to negotiate with the leader of North Korea-remember that place?- to go through that region and you know, grow plants and stuff. It's so heavily controlled by soldiers that I can't grow so much as a dandelion without the military running at me, waving their guns and yelling at me in Korean. There's an epidemic going around, Congress is trying to get rid of the government not being able to see texts on phones and stuff, and Greg is going through a carnivore phase. You?"

"Business as usual darling, some of us Caretakers dreaming away the eons here, others watching the world through your eyes."

As they walk, other Caretakers grin and greet them by name, even as Wirt and Angel see other Caretakers in hammocks high up in trees, sleeping away. Some have been sleeping for hours, others for centuries.

Such is the nature of eternal beings.

"Got any stories for me?" Wirt asks with a grin from her shoulders. It had become a tradition between them, whenever he came to visit the Caretakers gone by that she would tell him a story. They had been doing it for years now.

"Why? You can access the memories of the others better than I can, hun!" she laughed.

"We have this conversation every time! It's nice to hear someone else tell me the story rather than just remembering it, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah I see what you mean." Then she grew thoughtful. "Have I ever told you the story of how the First created the worlds?"

He shook his head, slightly startled. "You mean the way she always told it to the Second before she disappeared? I don't think i've ever heard that before. I mean, I remember other people telling the story but no one can actually remember the actual creation of the world"

"Right you are kiddo. The memories of the creation of the world would drive us nuts. Those memories are not meant for any sort of mortal mind...The First Caretaker of the Unknown, though this was long before our beloved Unknown was even a seedling, came from another place, and when she arrived here it was empty. Nothing. No matter, no space, not even time. It's hard for us to wrap our heads around, but that's how it was."

They had arrived at a house of sorts, when they went inside it was soft and cozy, with plush couches and blankets. Angel turned around, back to a couch so that Wirt could hop off her shoulders, falling backward onto the cushions. She sat down next to him and continued to talk.

"So, she created. She created time and space, the planets and stars, and, when she was finally pleased a few planets of her choice could support organic life, she created it. First, plants, followed by animals, and finally, humans. As our species aged, the other plants and animals around us evolved, but we remained the same. She gifted a select few of each species with bits of magic, absolutely nothing compared to her might, but still formidable. These gifted creatures became the shapeshifters, two-forms, fae, werewolves, and the like. But, time passed, and she selected one human to train in her powers and raise to be an apprentice of sorts. Mind you, this was long before humans invented names as we know then today. We may not evolve but we certainly got smarter over the eons. Names were constantly changing, based on anything from what they were doing at the moment to overarching achievements, accomplishments, and even descriptors. So we just call her the Second. For many, many thousands of years, the First continued to walk the Earth, using her magic to maintain the Second's life. She passed more and more power into her, inadvertently at first, doing it to keep her young but in ever increasing amounts as the First grew weary of her eternal existence and the dismal pain of human after human living tiny lifespans and then passing into the void. She began to lean more and more heavily upon the Second to take care of the planet. Then one day, she made the decision.

She ended her own life, leaving the Second alone as the Caretaker of the planet. The Second still mourns the First to this day.

Fast forward, and we have Caretaker after Caretaker, apprentice after apprentice. We grew the Unknown from a single seed planted in the dirt, we ruled as kings over the Unknown and the world for a time, before our pride felled us. For a long time, our powers were passed down through a tribe in Africa, down to me, before my family was held at musket-point and I was brought to the new World as a slave. Eventually, I fled the South and passed my powers to Samuel, who then passed them to Dante…"

"That was his name? Dante?"

"Yeah, you didn't know that? We managed to patch up the last of his memories just a few days ago."

Wirt whistled "four years and you just now managed to dredge up his name? Seriously?"

"We've been busy!" Angel said defensively. "He was crazy for a long time. That sort of craziness really destroys memories. AND we were training you" she punctuated this with a hard poke to his side.

"Hey!" Wirt complained "I was a good student! It wasn't that hard to teach me stuff! Maybe you were just a bad teacher!"

"True, true," Angel admitted, sitting back down on the couch. "But you still haven't learned… THIS LESSON" and launched herself at him and began tickling any spot she could reach until he admitted that she was an excellent teacher, thank you very much.


End file.
